The Answer My Friend, is Blowing in The Wind..

Well, blow me down.

While many New Jersey towns are battling against the high costs of energy, Ocean Gate has got the whole thing figured out: They’re turning in to the wind.

This town is in Ocean County, and is right on the Atlantic Ocean and will get to try out all those winds whipping off the Atlantic to help turn a windmill turbine.

They figure it will work just well enough to power the lights for their whole municipal complex. While some in this town of a touch over 2000 may not like looking at the big wind catching machines, maybe it could help stabilize taxes.

I am sure that if it is successful, their mayor, Paul J. Kennedy will be elected over and over again.

One important warning, though: Local Guinness Book of World Records holder Rob Beaton should not stand near the wind mills trying to break his previous record, unless he wants scrambled eggs. He holds the record for holding the most raw eggs in his hands, without dropping them: a cool dozen raw eggs.

Maybe next year at the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, there'll a seminar on The Value of Wind in New Jersey. Or hot air in Trenton.

Stop your global whining.

Trying to save money in New Jersey on your energy bill?
Don't tilt at windmills. Or build them.

Michael Mercurio built a 35-foot windmill in his backyard in Beach Haven Terrace last year that helped reduce his energy bill to about $114 ---for the entire year. He gets some of his power from the windmill. And the rest from solar power.

Sounds like he’s got it all handled to me. He's got the sun in the morning and the wind all day.

But his neighbors didn't like the way the wind was blowing. So they are working hard to stop him from using it. They say it’s too noisy and too big and casts shadows on their property. Some neighbors filed a lawsuit saying that “The spinning blades throw “strobe-like shadows” on their property from noon to sunset.” And they say it's too noisy. Wind? Noisy?

Children whining are too noisy: “Oooh, Mom, make him stop!. Michael is casting shadows on me”.

His good neighbors went to court to stop the use of the windmill, and now the windwill is still. For now. Next step, Mercurio and his windmill go back to the local zoning board for a variance, then back to court. Great neighbors.

Earth to Michael’s neighbors: Wind power is GOOD, not evil. Stop whining.

What's next: More court time for Michael.